SELECTION: ‘Tickling My Fancy Musical Revue’
Featuring: The Beach Boys, Jinko Vilova, Modified Toy Orchestra via the latest Bit-Pod mix by Jilk, and the Riot Jazz Brass Band.
Jinko Vilova ‘Gasoline’ – Available Now
Jinko Vilova’s Gasoline from Rafa Dengrá on Vimeo.
A regular feature of the Monolith Cocktail soundscape, the Jinko Vilova have emerged as chest-beating provocateurs of the Iberian underground; manning the barricades with their raw mix of stoner drone rock, motor city nihilism and krautrock. Their crowning glory, Cru!, LP was granted a generous four-star review by your host for GodIsInTheTV: an album whose post punk allusions were delivered via a furnace blast of spirited jamming and echoed shamanic drawling.
Untethered free from the earthy constraints of a label or management, the Vilova have relied upon the ‘word-of-mouth’ and ‘gatekeepers’ such as my good self, whose extremely popular ‘Notes From The Spanish Underground’ (https://monolithcocktail.wordpress.com/archive-l-p/notes-from-the-spanish-underground/) post featured a wealth of music from the region. However plans are afoot with talk of a solid CD release for the – so far confined to download – album, and possible hints of live dates. There’s also the official new video for that LP’s leading motorik road trip, ‘Gasoline’ – a suitable hypnotic gyroscopic set of visuals, directed by RafaDengrà. Watch this blog for further information and an upcoming second compilation of curated tracks from the group’s Carles Esteban.
Modified Toy Orchestra/ Jilk ‘Unclaimed/ The Bit-Pod. Vol #10’ (Bit-Phalanx) – 12th August 2013
Featured in the latest, essential listening, ‘bit-pod’ mix session from Bit-Phalanx – presented and produced by the label’s artist, Jilk – the rambunctious, sweetly operatic cooed, 8-bit suite from the Modified Toy Orchestra playfully ascends in an ethereal direction. Entitled ‘Unclaimed’ – though hardly out of embarrassment – this 20-minute piece receives its first airing, congruously melded into the middle of a glitchy and warped selection of remixes and teaser tracks from Coloquix (who gives Bowie‘s pre-apolcapitc swan song, ‘Five Years’, a disturbing but lamentable backbeat), Kayler Painter, Protest Canyon (their new single ‘Floorboards’) and Blanck Mass.
The Unclaimed suite will itself be released as a free digital download EP on the Bit-Phalanx website, Monday.
Riot Jazz Brass Band ‘Necropolis’ (First Word) – 19th August 2013
Taking a wrong turn down a Manchester back alley and finding themselves propelled onto the streets of a San Francisco located TV detective show, the voracious horn blasting, Riot Jazz Brass Band, compose soundtracks for filmic epic moments.
As soulfully adroit as they are bombastic, the group’s influences recall funk heralded celebrations and plaintive searching deliberations from another era; namely the 70s. This inquisitive but sad skyline gazing cut, ‘Necropolis’, is just a taster from their upcoming debut LP, Sousamaphone.
And Finally
From the feckless gay abandon of ‘Surfer Girl’ to the grown-up despondency of ‘Surf’s Up’, and through a sporadic qualitative 70s, the ‘sunshine’ state’s most cherished sons, The Beach Boys, didn’t half knock out some material. A potted history, ‘career spanning’, box set, Made In California, is about to be released commemorating the group’s 2012, 50th anniversary.
Already swamped in numerous revived SMiLE sessions and missing archived recordings from the vaults at Capitol Records over the last decade – as Brian Wilson finally recovered from his comatose inertia at the start of the noughties to revive both Pet Sounds and the lost artefact, SMiLE – another behemoth collection (170 tracks over 6 CDs) may just be the final straw.
Both as a timely reminder of the founding fathers contribution to pop music – rock n roll, whatever you want to call it – and to tie in with the recent reunion – one bereft of Brian’s much-missed siblings, Carl and Dennis of course – this chronological feast does feature sixty previously unreleased demos, backing tracks, a cappella’s and discarded songs from the revered cannon. Plus theres half a CD dedicated to live performances – from a cover of Del Shannon‘s hit, ‘Runaway’, at a Chicago gig in 65, to 1995 rendition of ‘Sail On Sailor’ in Louisville.
It’s the final CD of the set though that boasts the most treasures. With diaphanous blessed a cappella versions of ‘Slip On Through’ and ‘This Whole World’ prompting me to weep with resilient joy. We also get to hear the group’s take on the Righteous Brothers commendable lament, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling’, and unearth almost forgotten gems like ‘Barnyard Blues’.
Both featured on that very Made In California tome, ‘Slip On Through’ (original version) and the Chuck Berry cover, ‘Rock And Roll Music’, will give you a taste until my full review appears on GodIsInTheTV in a couple of weeks.
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